The family room in the home I grew up in was in our finished basement. It had dark paneled walls and red and black tartan carpet, an itchy, blue couch, a dark wood entertainment center, a peeling leather office chair and a small TV with an antenna and dials. It was awesome.

Back in the day, it wasn’t uncommon for a home to have a formal living room and thus, a less formal family room. The former of which was for special occasions and entertaining and the latter for more casual affairs such as board games and TV watching. Now-a-days, homes are being designed with great rooms and bonus rooms with the family in mind. The formal living room is a dying breed as just the idea of it conjures up thoughts of cold tea and dry crumpets and having to sit still for hours while your mom entertains. Ok maybe not…but still…these days, most people are ditching the formal living room for a much more functional and casual family room style. But just because a room is more casual and has more function, doesn’t mean it has to be dull. Just check out these beautiful family rooms all with their own distinct styles.

Whether minimalist, modern, traditional, eclectic, contemporary, whimsical or rustic, the family room can be interpreted to fit any range of styles in the home. Perhaps most importantly, the concept of a family room is an open door to the possibility of designing a space around how we live and function as family units rather than the stuffy living rooms of yesteryear.

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Welcome to "Musings", FLOR's blog dedicated to design inspiration. We've invited a few of our friends to share their personal design thoughts and experiences. We hope you leave feeling empowered and return to be inspired.